AcuStruct

I was talking with a coworker who was asking about foundation work today and went to look up AcuStruct to see if they were still around. Glad to see that they are! We had our foundation work done in 2004 by Acustruct.
They came and inspected the house and did a complete measurement. They were more thorough than other companies we had contacted for bids. I cannot remember if they came in less expensive, but I remember being impressed with Dan and how much he described the process and made sure we had a good understanding of it.
They installed 18 helical anchors around out house, leveled the house using the pressure jacks and installed hand jacks on the piers on the interior of the house.
It has been 12 years and no movement at all. Our house was damp underneath when the work was first done, and with clay soil, it took approximately 3 years until small adjustments in the hand jacks on some of the piers in the interior stopped needing to be done. We repaired interior cracks and they have not come back. We have had several average earthquakes (3.5−5.0) since the work was done and the anchors absorb the shock pretty well. The house swayed more than shook during those earthquakes, and there was no damage or new cracks on the inside or outside.
Back in 2004 the company was in its infancy when they did the work on our house. Dan was very informative and described the entire process before and as it went along. The crew made sure that site was as tidy as a construction site could get when they were done for the day or weekends.
We have recommended this company to friends over the years.

AcuStruct did an amazing job building a retaining wall between three properties. Their bid was the lowest of 5 bids, they promised what they delivered, and the crew was very good. They built it in the time they estimated and went above board to make sure everything was satisfactory. They own a lot of their own equipment which I think helps makes them more price competitive in this market. Plus the owner is a super nice person. So give them a call no matter where you are in the Bay Area. They will do you good.

Work that needed to be done to our foundation:
* Construct 16 piles in and around the house 15 – 18 ft. deep
* Ten ft. foundation crack bolted and encased in cement
* Level entire house 1 – 4 inches using pressure jacks
* Aesthetic leveling inside the house using small hand jacks
* Add a French drain to the front of the house
Total cost of job was approximately $ 50,000
When we bought our house in August 2012, we knew we would need major foundation work done. My husband, a civil engineer, interviewed and got quotes from three local companies. AcuStruct came in lowest by a significant amount, and it was clear they were the most professional, doing the most detailed evaluation before giving us a quote.
As a stay-​at-​home mom, I saw firsthand what work was done every day. The men showed up on time, worked extremely hard (were not on cellphones), never left before five, had a quick lunch, worked a couple of Saturdays to stay on schedule, and left the area as clean as they could. As they bored holes into the ground with a massive drill, they tried to keep damage to the exterior walls and hardwood floors to a minimum. The crew was conscious of my young children and kept the area as safe as possible.
The whole team worked smart. Every day they would explain to me what the day’s work would be. They were never condescending and explained their work in thorough and specific detail. They protected the house and tools from animals and rain. They were careful with our home and had the foresight to plan ahead so there was no extra effort to the work. Daniel, who worked on the job from start to finish was excellent at explaining the «what» and «why» of the job. He was courteous, easy to talk to and took my concerns seriously. He worked with me if there was a problem and took my concerns to his supervisor if needed.
Dennis, the foreman of our job, was fantastic. He ran the job like a well-​oiled machine. He was in complete control of his crew, there were never any delays, he took me around the house every day to explain what was happening, he tried to keep noise and dust to a minimum, he worked with me to keep us comfortable in the house when it was cold, he tried to keep damage to the house to a minimum by discussing options, and after the house was leveled, he personally went around and readjusted doors. He even offered to help me put up smoke detectors before the county inspector arrived. Dennis had a good balance between being personable and professional.
The job finished on schedule and we paid the price that was quoted even though an extra reinforcement was added under the house for a particularly low spot. They even did little things as the job finished up like replant plants, saved some of the best dirt I requested for the kids, power sprayed the house, and basically left the exterior looking better than when they’d started the job.
AcuStruct has spoiled us for other contractors. After having wonderful work done by them, I’ve had three other contractors work on the house. The other companies have treated me like I can’t understand the work, have been uncommunicative, I’ve had to call them back to redo work, and I’ve seen the crews sitting around. I had one contractor not want to redo crooked work, one company left me in the dark as to what they were doing and I had to rely on the county inspector for information on the job.
If I had to do it again, I’d hire AcuStruct in a second!